Pink Floyd Keyboardist Richard Wright Dead At 65.  Founding member and songwriter had a ‘short struggle with cancer,’ spokesperson says. By Gil Kaufman Sep 15 2008 2:36 PM EDT Founding Pink Floyd keyboardist Richard Wright died in England on Monday (September 15) at the age of 65 after a battle with cancer. No further information about the cause of Wright’s death was available at press time, according to The Associated Press. "The family of Richard Wright, founder member of Pink Floyd, announce with great sadness, that Richard died … after a short struggle with cancer," read a statement from a spokesperson. "The family have asked that their privacy is respected at this difficult time." The self-taught keyboardist met bassist Roger Waters and drummer Nick Mason in architecture school and in 1964 joined their group Sigma 6, which eventually evolved into the Pink Floyd Sound. With the addition of late singer/guitarist Syd Barrett — who left the band in 1968 and died in 2006 of cancer — the group, now called Pink Floyd, began its rise as one of the most creative and powerful psychedelic bands on the British scene. In that early period, Wright was a major force in the band’s pioneering experimental sound, penning the songs "The Great Gig in the Sky" and "Us and Them" on Floyd’s legendary 1973 black-light rock opus Dark Side of the Moon. He also added key vocals to the 1971 20-plus-minute epic "Echoes" and made significant contributions to the songs "Atom Heart Mother" and the 1975 Barrett tribute "Shine on You Crazy Diamond." At their peak, from the early 1970s through the early 1980s, Floyd were one of the most popular, successful and influential rock bands in the world. The group regularly filled stadiums with an elaborate show that at different times included brain-bursting light displays, wild props, a giant inflatable pig and, during the tour for 1979’s The Wall, the nightly construction of a giant wall across the front of the stage — a symbolic depiction of that album’s central themes of loneliness and disconnection. Floyd’s commercial breakthrough, 1973’s Dark Side of the Moon, was their first #1 album in the U.S. and spawned what is likely to be a once-in-a-lifetime chart juggernaut, remaining on the Billboard albums chart for an incredible 741 weeks to date — including 591 consecutive weeks, from 1976 to 1988 — on its way to selling more than 40 million copies worldwide. The Wall served to further establish their commercial status by spinning off such classic-rock radio staples as "Another Brick in the Wall (Part 2)" and "Comfortably Numb." However, as the 1970s progressed, Wright, along with Floyd singer/guitarist David Gilmour and Mason, found his contributions diminishing as Waters increasingly dominated the band’s songwriting and direction. In a group whose history is rife with decades-long grudges, Wright was not immune to the inter-band drama, splitting with Floyd in 1979 during sessions for The Wall, due to his strained relationship with Waters. He returned to the group as a paid session musician for shows in 1980 and 1981, but he was not included on 1983’s The Final Cut, the only Floyd album on which he didn’t appear. Following Waters’ departure, Wright rejoined the band in 1988. He played keyboards and sang on A Momentary Lapse of Reason and co-wrote five songs on 1994’s The Division Bell. Wright, who performed on every Floyd tour, was also onstage in 2005, when the surviving members of the band played a rapturously received reunion gig at the Live 8 concert. Wright released a handful of solo albums and appeared on records by Barrett, and he had been performing regularly with Gilmour.  (photo: Pink Floyd’s Rick Wright in 2006, Photo: Jo Hale/Getty Images) – Source: http://www.mtv.com

Went with my friend Michael S. to Jacques-Imo’s in NYC at 77th and Columbus last night.  I have been there several times, hoping to have the rabbit that they prepare so well in their New Orleans restaurant. I called on Monday night and left a message.  I received a call back from Lana on Tuesday and she indicated they did not have the rabbit on the menu in NYC.  Apparently NY patrons don’t know a good thing when they have the chance.  Anyway, she agreed that if I could secure a rabbit, she would have the chef prepare it for me and my friend. Well I did get a rabbit from Citarella at 2135 Broadway.  Sure enough, corn biscuits along with a bowl of gumbo (with hot sauce), a plate of fried green tomatoes with Shrimp Remoulade, a platter of homemade fried chicken (takes 25 minutes – they are NOT KFC), and sides of jambalaya and red beans & rice, we had the rabbit – breaded and fried, served on a Oyster Tasso Pasta. A fun and eclectic place to go.

One of the trainers at RMI keeps a blog on training, fitness, and climbing.  you may want to check it out.   http://www.fit2climb.com.  He also emailed several docs on training I am happy to share — will see if i can post them somehow.

Link to Rail pass selection per European countries from Rail Europe

-)*(- -)*(- -)*(- -)*(- -)*(- -)*(- -)*(- -=-=-=- 38 Days Remaining! -=-=-=- -)*(- -)*(- -)*(- -)*(- -)*(- -)*(- -)*(- The Life Cube is an electrifying public art installation emphasizing interactive engagement in the Black Rock Desert at Burning Man ’13 and we need your help! Only 38 days left in our fundraiser and we’ve already raised $7,067 toward our goal of $15,000! Great job everybody! But we’ve still got a long way to go. Please Donate and spread the link to our fundraiser so that this amazing project can become a reality. We can only do this with your support! Please forward this link to your Burner friends and Donate (even $10 helps!): –http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/thelifecube/envision-the-life-cube-art-at-burning-man-2013

OK – So anyone that knows me, knows that I swim every day.  I have a pool, and belong to a club in NY so I can swim in the City and when my pool is closed (Dec – Mar).  Anyway, I see a great billboard ad for Equinox Clubs in Manhattan.  It shows a pool and looks great.  It includes their telephone number.  I call while walking to my appointment.  I get stuck in this stupid automated telephone system — you know the type, push 1 if you want club locations, push 2 if you want special info on for Amex members …. that sort of thing.  Anyway, I try and get to a real person to ask which of the clubs have pools, but can not get a live person.  I call back and hit 2 and get a message that they have special membership offers, but again, no way to talk to a real person.  I get home and look up their Web site — and they have no way to search clubs that have pools.  This company needs to get their sh-t together.  Instead of wasting money on great print ads and automated telephone systems — they should pay someone a few bucks an hour to answer the phone — it may have a big impact on their membership growth.

A store manager should be fired for understaffing.  There is a drug store in Grand Central – a place where people go to but some things quick and catch a train.  First the lines are too long, then you get to a cash register, and the person says "Cash Only".  They are disorganized.  This is a bad thing!

Thanks to all the generous folks who have contributed photos for the upcoming Life Cube photo book, we’re uncovering a number of wonderful pictures of the 2014 downtown Las Vegas Life Cube Project. The Life Cube Project has come so far since it’s debut at Burning Man. Let’s keep it growing! #thelifecubeproject #downtownlasvegas #TheLifeCube #Burningman #downtownlasvegas #LasVegas #lifecubeproject #dtlv #lifecubeproject #thelifecubeproject #lifecube #lifecube #TheLifeCube #BurningMan

Over the years, I’ve herded my share of cats in building businesses and creating art. I can remember the first time I saw this video and how many people I sent it to. The EDS Herding Cats commercial was first aired on TV during the Superbowl XXXIV (the only reason I watch the Superbowl is for the ads) in 2000. Search on the Web lists a couple interesting definitions: “An idiomatic saying that refers to an attempt to control or organize a class of entities which are uncontrollable or chaotic. Implies a task that is extremely difficult or impossible to do, primarily due to chaotic factors.” (wikipedia) “If you have to try to co-ordinate a very difficult situation, where people want to do very different things, you are herding cats” (usingenglish.com) #EDS #herdingcatscommercial #Superbowlbestads #herdingcats #superbowlads

In the midst of a crazy busy day after returning from Burning Man, I received the following from Lori, one of the many TLC supporters who helped put it together.   She identified strongly with the concept, and passionately embraced its ramifications in all the creative ways suggested in her note below.  It’s so gratifying to see how The Life Cube resonated with people – both before and during the week at Burning Man, and with those who wrote wishes and sent ideas and support even if they couldn’t travel to Black Rock City this year. RE:  Alert to skeeter bid for the temple 2013 cube on crack!  lets build the temple of wishes and dreams  i’m serious skeeter i got goose bumps  the temple was successfully built  by mostly volunteers  in 2011 This was the best    let’s take the life cube  out of its own box   and bid for the temple of wishes and dreams!!!!!!!!!   l’chaim –  to life!  let us not mourn the dead   but celebrate what they gave us…   life   as the world belongs to the living   the cube has evolved to a playa-wide project where during the week they will add their wishes and dreams….  and send them up to the ether   meanwhile during the week we celebrate life  in all its aspects  and aspirations   sing     dance    rejoice  celebrate  …. create  our futures   be joyful in what we behold…. the indomitable unfolding spirit   all kinds of inspirational sayings and art will abound   we will get donations from artists from all over to add to it     are you in????? let it be   a gigantic box    with four triangles  which form a lid   over the top  which will open progressively over the week finally open upon the burn nite   as it burns  a phoenix is revealed popping out of the top   covered with lights and fireworks  lifting its head and spreading its wings  in its beak  a sign            “wish it so ”                 in the ashes will be found small ceramic plaques               with an imprint of  wish it so       temple of wishes and dreams   2013     are you in? LORI My response: Thanks Lori!  I’m still flying high somewhere past Cloud 9, and trying desperately to function and do what I need to in the “real world” when your email came.  You’re the best!  I love your enthusiasm and ideas.  Please give me some time to get back to Earth, do a debrief with the powers at Burning Man and just take a deep breath.  The chance to work with everyone on The Life Cube V2 was an over the top experience as an artist.  I’m so grateful to have friends and angels who helped make my dream a reality.  A huge thanks to everyone at Titicaca for their support and love and work and donated materials and time and tools and …. And let me not forget to say a huge mega-thanks to Gordy for organizing and cajoling and putting together the most awesome team of people to work with. More to come. Love, skeeter #art #artatburningm #TheLifeCube #Burningman #thelifecubeartprojectatburningman #artatburningman #wishcube #bm2012 #skeeter #BM2012 #blackrockcity #artprojectatburningman #lifecube #artburningman #artatburningman #TheLifeCubeV2

"Good communication is as stimulating as black coffee and just as hard to sleep after." –Anne Morrow Lindbergh “Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take but by the moments that take our breath away." –Unknown "Work like you don’t need the money, love like you’ve never been hurt, and dance like no one is watching."–Satchel Paige "Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming ‘WOW What a Ride!’" -Unknown "Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover."–Mark Twain "Look at a day when you are supremely satisfied at the end. It’s not a day when you lounge around doing nothing; it’s when you’ve had everything to do, and you’ve done it." –Margaret Thatcher "Success is not the result of spontaneous combustion. You must set yourself on fire."–Reggie Leach "To give anything less than your best is to sacrifice the gift."–Steve Prefontaine "Chance is always powerful. Let your hook be always cast; in the pool where you least expect it, there will be a fish."–Ovid "Experience is a hard teacher because she gives the test first, the lesson afterwards." –Vernon Sanders Law "I find the harder I work, the more luck I seem to have."–Thomas Jefferson "You don’t stop laughing because you grow old. You grow old because you stop laughing." –Michael Pritchard "Life is a great big canvas; throw all the paint on it you can." –Danny Kaye "The world belongs to the energetic." –Ralph Waldo Emerson “Let us so live that when we come to die even the undertaker will be sorry." –Mark Twain "Dream as if you’ll live forever. Live as if you’ll die today." –James Dean "Never spend your money before you have it." –Thomas Jefferson "An unhurried sense of time is in itself a form of wealth." -Bonnie Friedman "He has achieved success who has lived well, laughed often, and loved much."–Bessie A. Stanley "If you think you can, or think you can’t, you’re right."–Henry Ford "Patience has its limits. Take it too far, and it’s cowardice." –George Jackson "Each success only buys an admission ticket to a more difficult problem." –Henry Kissinger "The greatest pleasure in life is doing what people say you cannot do." –Walter Bagehot "We are most alive when we’re in love." –John Updike "I would rather have a mind opened by wonder than one closed by belief." –Gerry Spence "Saying goodbye doesn’t mean anything. It’s the time we spent together that matters, not how we left it." –Trey Parker and Matt Stone "Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you have imagined.–Henry David Thoreau "Know the true value of time; snatch, seize, and enjoy every moment of it. No idleness; no laziness; no procrastination; never put off till tomorrow what you can do today." –Lord Chesterfield "Nothing is impossible. Some things are just less likely than others." –Jonathan Winters "If you cannot convince them, confuse them." –Harry S. Truman "You can’t turn back the clock. But you can wind it up again."–Bonnie Prudden "A mind is like a parachute, it doesn’t work if it isn’t open."–Frank Zappa "You can’t do anything about the length of your life, but you can do something about its width and depth." –Evan Esar "It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it." –Aristotle "Don’t be too timid and squeamish about your actions. All life is an experiment. The more experiments you make the better."–Ralph Waldo Emerson "Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards." –Soren Kierkegaard "There are two types of people in this world, good and bad. The good sleep better, but the bad seem to enjoy the waking hours much more." –Woody Allen "He who asks is a fool for five minutes, but he who does not ask remains a fool forever." –Chinese Proverb "You are so young, my son, and, as the years go by, time will change and even reverse many of your present opinions. Refrain therefore awhile from setting yourself up as judge of the highest matters." –Plato "I do not fear computers. I fear the lack of them."–Isaac Asimov "I don’t know the key to success, but the key to failure is trying to please everybody." –Bill Cosby "I can remember when the air was clean and sex was dirty." –George Burns "When people talk, listen completely. Most people never listen." –Ernest Hemingway "Worry is a misuse of imagination." –Dan Zadra "If your ship doesn’t come in, swim out to it!"–Jonathan Winters "The wisest mind has something yet to learn."–George Santayana "The greatest conflicts are not between two people but between one person and himself." –Garth Brooks "I think age is a very high price to pay for maturity." –Tom Stoppard "Assumptions are the termites of relationships." –Henry Winkler "Do not condemn the judgment of another because it differs from your own. You may both be wrong."–Dandemis "If you haven’t found something strange during the day, it hasn’t been much of a day." –John A. Wheeler "Fear is the tax that conscience pays to guilt." -George Sewell "Nobody will believe in you unless you believe in yourself."–Liberace "If you can find a path with no obstacles, it probably doesn’t lead anywhere." –Frank A. Clark "Appreciation is a wonderful thing: It makes what is excellent in others belong to us as well." –Voltaire "It is better to know some of the questions than all of the answers."-James Thurber "Life is like a game of cards. The hand that is dealt you is determinism; the way you play it is free will."-Jawaharlal Nehru "To acquire knowledge, one must study; but to acquire wisdom, one must observe."-Marilyn vos Savant "Follow the grain in your own wood."-Howard Thurman "The greatest mistake you can make in life is to be continually fearing you will make one."-Elbert Hubbard "My mother had a great deal of trouble with me, but I think she enjoyed it."-Mark Twain "For all that has been, thanks. For all that will be, yes."-Dag Hammarskjold "Wine makes a man more pleased with himself; I do not say that it makes him more pleasing to others."-Samuel Johnson "Good judgment comes from experience, and experience comes from bad judgment."-Barry LePatner "Make sure you have finished speaking before your audience has finished listening."-Dorothy Sarnoff "We can draw lessons from the past, but we cannot live in it."-Lyndon B. Johnson "Those who dream by day are cognizant of many things which escape those who dream only by night."-Edgar Allan Poe "If you’re never scared or embarrassed or hurt, it means you never take any chances."-Julia Sorel "Love isn’t a decision. It’s a feeling. If we could decide who we loved, it would be much simpler, but much less magical."-Trey Parker and Matt Stone "Difficulties are meant to rouse, not discourage. The human spirit is to grow strong by conflict."-William Ellery Channing "The great thing in this world is not so much where you stand, as in what direction you are moving."-Oliver Wendell Holmes "It’s never too late to be who you might have been."-George Eliot "A cynic is not merely one who reads bitter lessons from the past; he is one who is prematurely disappointed in the future."-Sidney J. Harris "First say to yourself what you would be; and then do what you have to do."-Epictetus "Either you decide to stay in the shallow end of the pool or you go out in the ocean."-Christopher Reeve "A mind, like a home, is furnished by its owner, so if one’s life is cold and bare he can blame none but himself."-Louis L’Amour "Doubt whom you will, but never yourself."-Christine Bovee "You may be disappointed if you fail, but you are doomed if you don’t try."-Beverly Sills "In prosperity our friends know us; in adversity we know our friends."-John Churton Collins "Be life long or short, its completeness depends on what it was lived for."-David Starr Jordan "Remember that happiness is a way of travel – not a destination."-Roy M. Goodman "Life engenders life. Energy creates energy. It is by spending oneself that one becomes rich."-Sarah Bernhardt "You only live once – but if you work it right, once is enough."-Joe E. Lewis "Too many people are thinking of security instead of opportunity. They seem more afraid of life than death."-James F. Byrnes "Keeping your body healthy is an expression of gratitude to the whole cosmos – the trees, the clouds, everything."-Thich Nhat Hanh "What’s another word for Thesaurus?"-Steven Wright "If you don’t risk anything you risk even more."-Erica Jong "It is very strange that the years teach us patience – that the shorter our time, the greater our capacity for waiting."-Elizabeth Taylor "The path to our destination is not always a straight one. We go down the wrong road, we get lost, and we turn back. Maybe it doesn’t matter which road we embark on. Maybe what matters is that we embark."-Barbara Hall "Even if you’re on the right track, you’ll get run over if you just sit there."-Will Rogers "Death is more universal than life; everyone dies but not everyone lives."-A. Sachs "I dream, therefore I become."-Cheryl Grossman "Courage is being scared to death – but saddling up anyway."-John Wayne "Success is a journey, not a destination. The doing is often more important than the outcome."-Arthur Ashe "Happiness makes up in height for what it lacks in length."-Robert Frost "It is better to wear out than to rust out."-Bishop Richard Cumberland "You don’t have to be a ‘person of influence’ to be influential. In fact, the most influential people in my life are probably not even aware of the things they’ve taught me."-Scott Adams "Destiny is no matter of chance. It is a matter of choice. It is not a thing to be waited for; it is a thing to be achieved."-William Jennings Bryan "You can’t build a reputation on what you are going to do."-Henry Ford My Life Purpose: Life should NOT be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely. In an attractive and well-preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, Chocolate in one hand, an umbrella drink in the other, body thoroughly used up, totally worn out and screaming "WOO HOO – What a Ride!!!!" Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather a skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming – "wow…what a ride!" Chaos, panic, disorder, my work is done.

I keep telling the story of my (attempted) climb of Mt Rainier, and figure it is est to document some of my lessons.  The choice to go to Colorado was a good one.  Climbing Mt. Audubon with Sam and Chris was great (even if we did get stuck coming down in a thunder and lightening storm), it did give me a chance to acclimate to the higher altitude.  Climbing Pike’s Peak and other hikes with Lynne was not only fun, good training, but a great chance to spend some time with a friend.  With regard to lessons learned: 1.  I’m happy with my physical condition and training, but think it would have been better if I jogged/ran, or biked.  My legs were in better shape than most, and the swimming and stair-master was good aerobic exercise, but it would have been better with some running. 2.  Train without drinking water.  While on stair-master, I drank during workout.  This was fine for the first couple days of the climb, but the hike from Muir to the summit is done in 1-1.5 hour stretches and your water bottle is not accessible(it would freeze). 3.  Shoes!  So everybody said if you are only going to climb one time, and not going to do this sort of thing many times more, "rent the boots".  When I say everybody, this includes the guides, the guys at REI and EMS, other people that climbed, and even my friend Chaz.  But having trained in sneakers, it is obvious it would have been better to get used to the footing and weight or wearing the boots.  Poor choice to not buy them before. 4.  Team:  After my experience, I would feel a lot more comfortable hiking with people I know, or know how they trained.  I would have gladly paid double to have the luxury of not hiking/climbing with strangers.  Yes, there is the fun and opportunity to meet new people, make contacts, and stuff like that — but I have enough people and contacts, and would have preferred to be with people I know when walking next to huge crevices. That’s my list.  Let me know if you want to climb.  As mentioned earlier, now climbing Mt. Rainier is on my life list of things to do!